Collaborative Leadership = Business Success — Yes, or No?
I write a lot about the challenges facing Businesses, Organisations, Teams, Executive Boards and Individuals, all trying to find and define their place, their roles and what they should do to perform as effectively as possible in today’s world.
Today I want to focus in particular on Business and begin with one simple fact that I hold to be true:
We all live in an interconnected world and for business leaders the past decade has seen a dramatic rise in the speed and scale of this interdependence.
However, I would also argue that whilst increased connectivity is inevitable, increased collaboration is not; & in order to succeed in today’s environment, leaders need to be able to build relationships, handle conflict and share control in order to promote effective collaborations for their businesses — right at the heart of where it is needed most.
In reality, the human capacity to relate, cooperate and collaborate, have been just as great causes of success, as the adoption of any technological, innovative, or competitive advance.
And in fact, Businesses have grown and declined regardless of what planning they may have done. Success had been more to do with a readiness and ability to learn from failure and adapt accordingly.
Indeed, we may expect too much from our leaders in today’s challenging and highly complex world, &, hold onto the instinctive belief that complex problems require expertly designed solutions.
However, it is through trial and error and collaboration that most advances are made and most Businesses grow, &, it is relationships and partnerships which provide the structure and create the interdependencies that support this growth and drive everything forwards.
Collaboration though doesn’t just happen & neither does it just happen in a vacuum.
In Business terms, it requires a culture of ‘Open Innovation’ driven by deliberate Inquiry.
It requires an ‘Awareness of Opportunity’ — Of what could be done & with whom — coupled with the motivation to act.
It requires being prepared to ‘Synchronize Values, Attitudes & Expectations’.
It requires ‘Reciprocity’, involving high support, high trust, transparency and accountability, &, the pooling and equal sharing of resources, skills and knowledge.
It also requires ‘Moving in Time’ with your collaborative partners and being prepared to ‘Share Leadership’.
Shared, or Collaborative Leadership means perforce that you are taking a more open approach and actively encouraging creative thought and innovative action.
If I was to be asked what are the seven key characteristics and behaviours that best define and exemplify Collaborative Leadership, I would suggest the following:
- Recognising that power is greatest when shared: With equal participation across all levels; & allowing solutions to develop from the best ideas, wherever they come from;
- Openly sourcing & openly sharing: Getting everyone on the same page; actively finding and supporting opportunities to learn, educate and inform at all levels;
- Having a collective voice: Being open to suggestions and ideas; recognising that brainstorming and different perspectives can bring unique insights;
- Universal Subsidiarity: Ensuring all decisions are made where they need to be made and at the time they need to be made;
- Delegated Resourcing: Information, knowledge, time, effort and all other resources are shared and placed where needed most;
- Addressing the root of any conflict: Handling conflict by tackling the root cause; confronting brutal facts; moving away from a ‘fighting fires’ mentality to looking and acting holistically; &
- Providing the conditions for respect: Real time feedback with immediate praise, or constructive criticism; focusing on the positives; giving equal value; being disciplined; nurturing.
Collaboration has informed the past, it shapes the present, &, Collaborative Leadership will certainly be a driving force in the most successful Businesses of the future.
So identify your opportunities, step up to the plate and lead the way!
Paul Mudd is Contributing Author to The Huffington Post and a Contributing Writer to Thrive Global. Through The Mudd Partnership he works with business leaders, organisations and individuals in support of change, leadership excellence, business growth, organistional and individual wellbeing and well doing, and introducing Mindfulness, based on his best selling book, ‘Uncovering Mindfulness: In Search Of A Life More Meaningful’ available on Amazon and www.bookboon.com and the ‘Mindful Hacks For Mindful Living & Mindful Working’ series.
He can be contacted at paul@themuddpartnership.co.uk and you can follow the continuing journey uncovering Mindfulness on Twitter @TheMindfulBook and at @Paul_Mudd
